By Gladys Pino (PNA)
BACOOR CITY, Cavite – The 10-bed Bacoor District Hospital will be renovated and its services improved following Friday’s forging of a tripartite agreement between the Department of Health (DOH) and provincial and city officials at the Bacoor Government Center here.
Signatories to the agreement were City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla, Cavite Chief of Hospital Remigio D. Camerino, and DOH Calabarzon Regional Director Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo.
Under the agreement, the parties agreed to provide the necessary budget, personnel, supplies and equipment as appropriate in providing primary and eventually secondary healthcare services to indigent residents.
The district hospital was established by the city government in 2012 by virtue of a Sangguniang Panlungsod (city legislative council) resolution on a donated property by former Senator Ramon Revilla Sr.
City health official, Dr. Ivy Marie C. Yraztorza, said the hospital with four buildings is currently providing basic health services – from laboratory, emergency and outpatient and wards – but these are not being fully utilized due to budget and manpower constraints.
“Although we have the necessary equipment to provide Level 1 hospital services, we cannot fully operate due to lack of manpower,” she said.
The tripartite agreement provides that management and operation of the hospital are under the responsibility of Cavite province.
As such, it shall continue to provide its annual budget allocation for personnel services and maintenance and other operation expenses, excluding those provided by other parties, as well as the filling up of vacant posts created for the purpose.
On the other hand, the city government shall pay for administrative/utilities expenses, manage garbage and other hazardous wastes, and provide assistance in the facilitation of transport, emergency services and other purposes as agreed upon.
The DOH-Calabarzon office will provide technical, manpower and logistical support.
Janairo said the MOA shall take effect immediately and the necessary support shall be arranged as soon as possible, and improvements are expected before the year ends.
The DOH regional office also commits to provide a visiting consultant from Batangas Medical Center, a regional retained hospital of the DOH-Center for Health Development (CHD-Calabarzon) based in Batangas City, for clinical support, as well as training assistance and other technical support.
The manpower support includes assistance on the requirement both medical and allied medical staff and hiring of allied and medical staff on staggered basis, to fill in the gaps in licensing requirements after the provincial government has filled up existing plantilla posts.
DOH shall also provide civil works and necessary hospital equipment under the Health Facility Enhancement Program (HFEP) to accommodate the issuance of license and provision of basic health services for a required level of operation.
Cavite 2nd District Rep. Strike Revilla witnessed the signing event.
